By Albert Trevino
The Corrigan-Camden Bulldogs suffered a 26-6 road loss against the Hardin Hornets on Friday.
In the week two non-district match, the Bulldogs were not as prepared upfront for the physical ground attack from the Hornets, and even struggled to push the chains on offense themselves.
“We watched a lot of video [on Hardin] this week, maybe too much. I think our players were not expecting the level of physicality they brought,” said Bulldog head coach Brett Ratliff. “Hardin did a great job at what they did, chewing up the clock and that wore us down a bit.”
The battle upfront seemed to make much of the difference for the Hornets in establishing field position and finding ways to break through the line.
“Their offensive and defensive lines handled us well tonight and they tackled well in open space,” Ratliff said. “We let their piles of players kind of overwhelm us at times. That is all about pad level and technique. We will need to improve on that.”
Hornet quarterback Hunter Whitehead and running back Xander Woods were effective on the first possession, helping Hardin march into Bulldog territory.
After a blindside block on third down set the Hornets back outside of the red zone, Bulldog senior defensive back Michael Sullivan would grab an interception near the goal line on a long pass attempt.
However, Corrigan’s offense suffered a quick out on its first possession, followed by a bad punt snap that allowed the Hornets back where they left off near the 20-yard line.
Later, Woods would get the help from his offense to push through the final couple of yards into the end zone for the early 6-0 Hardin lead.
The teams would exchange non-scoring possessions early in the second quarter, with Hardin suffering its own failed punt snap that would set the Bulldogs up near the red zone.
However, a fumbled handoff by Sullivan at quarterback was picked up by Hornet Landon Ponton and brought all the way for another quick touchdown. This extended Hardin’s lead 14-0 with a successful two-point run.
Corrigan’s offense continued to fight up until the half, converting on crucial downs to stay on the field. This included runs by Sullivan and Bulldog junior quarterback William Ratliff, followed by junior receiver Paden Walker making a catch for the first down.
After a pass interference call on the Hornet defense pushed Corrigan back in the red zone, Bulldog junior Mason Murphy later made a clutch catch on fourth down that put Corrigan near the end zone.
Bulldog sophomore Derrick Reagie would finish that drive, finding a hole near the right side and powering through a tackle at the goal line for a two-yard touchdown.
This gave the Bulldogs their six points for the night after a missed two-point attempt to make it a 14-6 game at halftime.
The Corrigan offense struggled to convert throughout the second half, as Hardin started to wear the Bulldog defense down to further secure the lead.
Hornet Javion Watley would cap off another scoring drive for Hardin with a five-yard touchdown run to stretch the lead 20-6 in the third quarter.
Murphy started the ‘Dog offense again with a long run deep inside Hardin territory, plus a facemask penalty to reach the 10-yard line. However, the Hornet defense would hold strong and force another turnover on downs.
Later in the fourth quarter, Watley would get the Hornets in scoring position, then punch it in for a five-yard final touchdown inside the final minutes.
The Bulldogs will face the Kirbyville Wildcats in another non-district road matchup this Friday at 7:30 p.m.
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